Film

Miss Universe

A sci-fi comedy built around an intergalactic beauty pageant, still shrouded in mystery but promising a sharp satirical take on competition, beauty standards, and cosmic absurdity. Lupita Nyong'o leads what sounds like a wildly ambitious genre-blender that could go brilliantly weird or magnificently off the rails.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy comedy that plays a silly premise with a completely straight face, where the pageant trappings and the sci-fi setting are both taken seriously enough to be funny.

Skip it if you need a finished thing to judge; with the project still only rumoured, there is nothing to see yet and no way to know its pace or length.

What it asks of you: Nothing is confirmed about length or pace, so treat it as a blank slate; the premise suggests a light, playful sitting rather than a heavy one.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Galaxy Quest1999

A space adventure that loves sci-fi while thoroughly mocking it. Funny, clever, and genuinely thrilling—the best argument for why genre pastiche works when you respect what you're satirizing.

But If you need either pure comedy or pure action, this sits awkwardly between them. Some moments land harder than others.

Galaxy Quest poster

The Fifth Element1997

Luc Besson's operatic space romp drowns in style, color, and anarchic humor. It's wildly beautiful and ridiculous in equal measure—a film that commits fully to its own weirdness.

But The plot is tissue-thin and the tone swings wildly. It demands you meet it on its own terms or move on.

The Fifth Element poster

Beetlejuice1988

Tim Burton's comedy about the dead breaking decorum rules—sharp, weird, visually inventive, and genuinely funny. Proves you can be silly and stylish without compromising either.

But Doesn't explain its own world clearly and moves fast enough that you might miss jokes. Also, it's very much a product of 1988's sensibilities.

Beetlejuice poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Miss Universe

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Johnny English Reborn2011

Both use pageantry and superficial beauty-obsessed structures as vehicles to satirize systems that demand conformity and performance. Both ask: what happens when you refuse to play the game you're supposed to?

Rowan Atkinson's deadpan spy satire finds unexpected depth in how it plays with action-genre expectations. A comedy that's also genuinely inventive about visual storytelling and character.

But Marketed as broad slapstick but has an eccentric rhythm that won't click for everyone. Not knowing the first film might leave you adrift on references.

Johnny English Reborn poster
More like this (5)

Eating Raoul1982

A pitch-dark satire of consumerism, conformity, and American obsession with food and status. Audacious, genuinely funny, and built on a premise as high-concept as an intergalactic pageant.

But It's genuinely transgressive and grim beneath the comedy. Not everyone's idea of a good time, and it shows its low budget.

Eating Raoul poster

The Lego Movie2014

A film about conformity and imagination wrapped in anarchic visual comedy. Smarter than it has any right to be, layered enough to reward rewatches, and genuinely hilarious.

But The constant cutting and visual overstimulation will exhaust some viewers. If you don't vibe with its tone early on, it never lets up.

The Lego Movie poster

Mars Attacks!1996

Tim Burton's deranged sci-fi comedy about alien invasion that treats B-movie tropes with affection. Chaotic, stacked with character actors, and fully committed to its own silliness.

But Tonally all over the place in ways that confuse more than delight. The satire can feel scattered, and some jokes miss badly.

Mars Attacks! poster

Idiocracy2006

A crude but sharp satire about dumbing-down culture and consumerism run amok. Audacious enough to say what it means without apology.

But The humor relies on punching down, and the premise—that some people are inferior—doesn't age well. It can feel mean-spirited beneath the comedy.

Idiocracy poster

Spaceballs1987

Mel Brooks parodies *Star Wars* with affection and silliness. For fans of comedy sci-fi that doesn't take itself seriously and isn't afraid of stupid jokes.

But Heavy-handed parody humor that lands inconsistently. Comedy from the 1980s doesn't always translate, and some gags feel labored even then.

Spaceballs poster

People

Cast

Directing

Writing

Production

Recommended by

Katy Perry: Part of Me, The World Before Her, BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky, Britney vs. Spears